My last post focused on identity fraud and theft. It affects consumers as well as businesses and has been growing exponentially. While I knew the numbers were significant, I was honestly surprised at the responses I received from those who commented on my previous post. The number of folks who have said they have been hit by identity fraud, theft and general phishing attacks blew me away. Obviously, in my own frame of reference, these crimes appear to be in greater numbers than perhaps officially reported.

I did receive several responses indicating that they believe they are completely shielded from these crimes and only those who are lackadaisical in their attention to the potential dangers are at risk. I disagree strongly. I believe anyone is susceptible to varying degrees. One business associate of mine is the CTO of a highly regarded security software firm and was very protective of his identity and financial accounts. But, he had his identity stolen in a scenario similar to one I had outlined in my last post. Anyone is susceptible.